Thermoformed structural composites
AssigneeEcostrate Sfs, Inc.
InventorRonald Matthew Sherga
Life of this patent
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Abstract
The present invention is generally directed to methods and systems for making thermoformed structural elements and composites, including the use of composites, dissimilar or variable processing materials. End products can have the same outward appearance as those products made by more demanding, more expensive extrusion process or injection process, but the end products can be pre-engineered to have significantly, unexpectedly, improved physical and chemical properties.
Claims12
A thermoformed structural-composite construct made by a process comprising the steps of:
- providing a first material having a first melting pointing, a first thermal mass, a first thermal energy density, a first thermal-energy gradient, and a first structural integrity,
- providing a second material having a second melting pointing, a second thermal mass, a second thermal energy density, a second thermal-energy gradient, and a second structural integrity,
- combining under compression between a first matched die and a second matched die to create pressure and heat applied to said first and second materials, said combination uses the differential between said first and second melting points, thermal-mass, thermal-energy-densities, thermal-energy gradients and structural integrities in the individual near-melt-point range vis-a-vis pressure-heat ratio for first said material but does not approach the melting point for the second material;
- producing a third composite material thermoformed from the merged compression of said first material with said second material, said third composite material thermoformed without distinct shear planes, and
- configuring the third composite material for a predetermined use.
The construct prepared according to claim 13 wherein said materials are one of the following:
- recycled thermoplastics, thermoset plastics, and non-plastic materials.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.